Cell Phones and Driving. Something Has to Be Done!

It happened to me again today. My quest to enter Broadway in Quincy from 25th Street was thwarted by a red light, despite the fact that I hustled my way toward the light before it changed to red. Being the first car at the intersection gave me a bird’s eye view of just how many people are on their cell phones as they drove past me. While I didn’t count them, my guess is that at least 40% of the drivers I saw were on their phone going through that intersection.

Now, if you ever have been stopped by that light you already know that you can have 4 or 5 birthdays before you see that light change to green. So my sample size was quite large as I sat there patiently. We all know the situation. People refuse to put their phones down while they drive. These drivers illegally either talk or text with the phone in their hand. It begs the question of how many drivers went past me using Bluetooth that I was unaware of?

In any case, I don’t see this trend ending soon. Asking the Police Department to stop these drivers is a waste of their time and resources. What is needed is a device that prohibits your phone from operating when the vehicle you are driving is in gear.

Why don’t we have this technology being utilized? It should be mandatory for all vehicles. I am sure any parent of a teen age driver would welcome it.